The 36th International Society for Animal Genetics Conference opens in Dublin

More than 700 scientists from 52 countries across six continents will assemble in University College Dublin (UCD) today, Monday 17th July for the 36th International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) Conference.

Ireland has a long history in both research and the application of animal genetics. The goals of this conference is to keep pace with food production requirements and feed the growing global population expected to exceed more than nine billion people by 2050

ISAG and the International Foundation for Animal Genetics (IFAG) support exchange of research ideas, results and applications by organizing conferences and workshops, comparison tests and publishing Animal Genetics, the official journal of the Foundation. The conference was last held in Dublin during 1976.

In 2014 Weatherbys Scientific (a member of ISAG for over 30 years) was delighted to win a bid to bring the conference back to Ireland. Host support for the conference is provided by Weatherbys Scientific, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Teagasc. The conference has also received sponsorship from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Fáilte Ireland, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and a range of scientific research supplies companies.

Sinead Waters, Teagasc, and co-chair of the ISAG scientific committee said;” Ireland has a long history in both research and the application of animal genetics. The conference scientific programme covers a range of topics of interest to animal scientists. The attending scientists work collaboratively on research programmes with a view to, providing sustainable, efficient and secure livestock production and improving animal health. The goals of the meeting are to keep pace with food production requirements and feed the growing global population expected to exceed more than nine billion people by 2050.”

There are a range of eminent scientists invited to speak at the ISAG conference and share their research and views. Of particular interest is Dr Alison Van Eenennaam a Plenary Speaker from the University of California, Davis. Dr Van Eenennaam is an internationally-recognised animal scientist with a passion for science communication on contentious issues; she frequently provides an authoritative voice on controversial topics, including cloning and genetically engineered plants and animals. Dr Van Eenennaam was the recipient of the 2014 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) Borlaug Communication Award, and the 2016 Beef Improvement Association (BIF) Continuing Service Award. Dr Van Eenennaam will give a one hour presentation on Thursday July 19th entitled “Will animal genetics innovations be embraced or eschewed? The #Scicomm challenge facing agricultural biotechnology”.

The 36th International Society for Animal Genetics Conference in University College Dublin runs from 17th July to 21st 2017. www.isag.us/2017